Alpaca Sports – When you need me the most || A really pleasant listen! Perfect pop melodies on this mini album.Autonomia – Den soniske veven || Beautiful psych-pop/shoegaze album with elements of lots of other genres. Norwegian lyrics, often very poetic and lovely.Brad San Martin – Tell Someone || A big favourite of mine. One Happy Island’s singer has made a really good solo album. Wonderful melodies and lyrics.Brideshead – Never Grow up || Sweet, happy, upbeat indiepop that makes me smile.Bror Forsgren – Narcissus || So good to hear something new from former Lionheart Brothers member Bror Forsgren. The album is a wonderful listen. Grand orchestral pop with musical references to both The Beach Boys and psychedelic music.Cheatahs – Mythologies || A really strong dreampop album. So many good songs on this one!Dråpe – Relax/relapse || Another big favourite of mine. 2015 has been a really interesting year for Norwegian indie, and this wonderful debut from Dråpe is among the absolute best ones. From the bio: “9 songs filled with hypnotic, weightless and colorful dreampop, combining blissful and sparkling shoegaze inspired soundscape. ”Eskimeaux – Two mountains || She released two albums this year, and both are lovely. This shows a more folk/acoustic oriented side of her.Expert Alterations – You can’t always be liked || Very nice jangle pop album on Kanine/Slumberland.Eyelids OR – 854 || This was one of those where you listen without any expectations, because you haven’t heard the band before, and are completely blown away. Lovely, just lovely! It has that Byrds/Teenage Fanclub sound.Various artists – In a moment… Ghost Box || Label compilation from one of my favourite labels, Ghost Box.The Innocence Mission – Hello I feel the same || I LOVE this band. Everything they do comes out great, – this one too.Kid Wave – Wonderlust || Very, very good indie album with a touch of shoegaze and dreampop.The Leaf Library – Daylight Versions || I have waited for this one for a long time, and I wasn’t disappointed. Droney, experimental POP with poetic lyrics and lovely vocals.Martin Courtney – Many moons || Real Estate frontman’s solo album.Ms. John Soda – Loom || Finally, they’re back! Melancholic, melodic synthpop on Morr Music.Samling – Allt som är vackert || Sung in Swedish, and you will of course get a lot more out of this if you understand the great lyrics, but it is a beautiful album also musically. Guitar based pop. Lovely!The Spook School – Try to be hopeful || This album includes everything I love about The Spook School. It’s perfect. Indiepop.Squirrel Flower – Early winter songs from Middle America || This came earlier this year, I think, but it was in October I started listening to it. It is an amazing album, and it leaves me wanting more. So beautiful! Very sparse instrumentation, usually only an electric guitar and stunningly beautiful vocals. Fills me with calm. One of those rare albums I never think I will get tired of listening to.Trust Fund – Seems Unfair || After several good singles, I had high expectations for this album, and they were met in full. Great album!Younghusband – Dissolver || Everyone should be listening to this. It has been playing on and on in my house this year. Very good!Creature Speak – Shadow songs || A beautiful and dark modern folk album. Highly recommended! (buy on Bandcamp)Various artists – A Girl and a Gun || Wiaiwya let their artists and friends cover a James Bond song. With so many songs, you probably won’t like them all, but there are some real gems on it. (buy on Bandcamp)Eerie Summer – The way I don’t understand anything anymore || Sadly, this is the last album this Russian/Finnish band will ever make, but they go out in style. What a great indiepop album this is! (buy on Bandcamp)Oh, Peas! – Difficult second chair || Trust Fund member Rosie Smith’s solo-project. Lofi bedroom pop. (buy on Bandcamp)

SINGLES I LOVED THIS MONTH

The Goon Sax (Photo by Connor Beazley)

The Bluetones – A slight return || A slight and very nice return from The Bluetones. Indiepop/britpop.Craft Spells – Our park by night || It’s been some time since we heard new music from Craft Spells. I’ve loved what they have released before, and I love this one. Melancholic and synthy indiepop.Deerhunter – Living my life || I haven’t listened much to Deerhunter before – not at all, I think – but I really like this song.Diet Cig – Sleep talk || Two good songs from Diet Cig. Indiepop.The Goon Sax – Sometimes Accidentally || I’ve started to really fall in love with this band! Great jangly indiepop with good lyrics and vocals that remind me of Robert Forster of The Go-Betweens. They’re actually Australian too. Edit: I now realize that it is actually Forster’s son’s band. Nothing’s wrong with sounding like your father… 🙂H. Hawkline – Moons in my mirror || Wonderful Welsh artist, and you know I have a weak spot for Welsh music. He performs in Sweet Baboo’s band, and this is not too far from Sweet Baboo’s sound, maybe combined with a bit of Super Furry Animals-sound.The Legendary House Cats – King Grudge || Dense, guitarbased indiepop. Very nice track.Lusts – Illuminations || This single has been kind of a soundtrack for my 2015. It’s an amazing song with a chorus that really lifts you up.The Magic Gang – No fun || Guitar heavy pop that somehow reminds me of Pavement, but somehow also don’t…Martha Ffion – So long || Sweet 60s inspired pop.Night Flowers – Sleep || A lovely two track indie single with gorgeous vocals on both tracks.Promise and the monster – Time of the season || Another artist I am so happy to see back again! Now she sounds better than ever. Dark, orchestrated pop.Sea Pinks – Depth of field || This one is great! Dreamy, jangly indiepop.Winter – All the things you do || This band has released several good ones this year, and this is one of them. Dreampop with very uplifting chorus.Fever Dream with Laura K – the Squall / Ghost || Two wonderful artists collaborate on Wiaiwya. The sound is more Fever Dream-ish shoegaze than Laura K-ish indiepop. Fuzzy, reverbed guitars and beautiful vocals and melodies. (buy on Bandcamp).Catholic Easter Colours – Gray & green || A fairly new band that so far has released 3 releases on Bandcamp this year. This is the first one, and it is a wonderful jangly indiepop gem, with tremoloed guitars and nods back to the days of Sarah Records. (buy on Bandcamp)